Shift change / Cover: views and lifecycle

Swapping shifts is a real need for employees and the thing managers dread most because it slips out of control. Rifena lets employees propose and pick up shifts while the final decision stays with the manager, with a clear lifecycle for every request.

A request is complete only after the required cover and approval decisions are recorded, the final state is clear and the actual schedule reflects it.

Open at

Operations → Shift change / Cover

Users

Employees, shift managers and HR

Scope

Self or assigned groups

A view can remain visible while its actions are disabled when the account or current state is not eligible.

Choose the right view

Open shift changes

Four views use the same request lifecycle for different responsibilities.

• My requestsRequests you created or participate in.Use for: edit, cancel or result review.
• Open coverShifts still looking for an eligible person.Use for: claiming a suitable shift.
• Pending approvalRequests ready for a manager decision.Requires: approval permission; disabled for ordinary employees.
• AllSearch by type, state, employee and date range.Data: limited to current scope.

Two request types

• Swap with a named person: the selected person accepts before the request proceeds when required.
• Find cover: the shift is opened to eligible colleagues; manager approval may still be required after someone claims it.

Verify the date, current shift, target shift/cover and participant before submitting. A note does not replace selecting the correct shift.

Actions by state

Accept

The proposed colleague agrees to participate; this is not the manager's final approval.

Claim shift

An eligible person claims an open shift; it disappears when filled, expired or conflicting.

Approve / Reject

Only for an authorised reviewer while the request is awaiting a decision in scope.

Edit

Only before the request passes the state that permits changes.

Cancel

An involved person, or an authorised manager, may stop a Pending/Accepted request without deleting its decision history.

Revert

For a completed request still eligible for reversal; read the schedule impact first.

States can include Pending, Accepted, Approved, target rejected, manager rejected, Cancelled, Expired and Reverted. Interpret an action together with the current state, not from role alone.

Verify the result

1. Reopen the request and verify final state, actor and note.
2. Open Operations → Timekeeping → Schedule & Shifts → Shift assignment on the relevant date.
3. Confirm the actual worker owns the correct shift and the old assignment is not left behind.
4. If the shift has started or time events exist, review attendance too.

Do not skip the participant decision

If a request awaits the recipient, do not create another request or edit the schedule manually to bypass that step. Process the existing request to retain a complete history.

When an action is missing

• Pending approval is disabled: the account has no approval permission.
• No Claim shift: the shift is filled, expired, ineligible or conflicts.
• No Cancel: the request is not Pending/Accepted, or the account is neither involved nor allowed to manage shift-change requests.
• Empty list: clear state/date filters, then verify group scope.

See Timekeeping: Schedule & Shifts and Time and attendance issues.